BMAG launches online tours for families to enjoy collections during lockdown

While the doors to the nine Birmingham Museums Trust venues across the city are closed, there are ways to keep in touch and engaged online with virtual tours, an extensive image database, spotlight videos, and more, as the team bring the museums to your device or desktop.

Janine Eason, Director of Engagement at Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “Our doors may be closed for now, but we are still there for our visitors. Art and culture can help us make sense of the world and often gives us an escape.

“We are lucky to have some excellent online resources so that people and families can explore the collection and continue to engage with us.

We hope we can bring some joy and distraction to everyone who needs it during this concerning time.

Birmingham Museums is an independent charity that cares for the city’s collection of over a million objects on behalf of Birmingham City Council, which includes everything from steam trains and planes, to fashion and fine art. The Trust shares these objects with visitors at nine venues, including Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG), Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, and Aston Hall.

HOW YOU CAN EXPLORE THE COLLECTIONS AND VIEW ONLINE

• Thousands of images from the city’s collection are freely available to view, download, and use creatively. The online resource launched last year, and new out-of-copyright images continue to be added. The database spans a range of areas from Pre-Raphaelite drawings and prints to historical views of Birmingham and the Midlands. Visit online at dams.birminghammuseums.org.uk

• Take a virtual tour of BMAG. Thanks to ScanTech Digital, the 3D tour gives you the opportunity to visit the permanent galleries of the museum from the comfort of your own home. Be greeted by Sir Jacob Epstein’s Lucifer statue in the Round Room, take a closer look at the Staffordshire Hoard, explore the modern and contemporary art galleries, or marvel at the Victorian architecture of the Industrial Gallery. Share your experience with the museums teams via social media. Visit www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/bmag/virtual-tour.

• Visit the Birmingham Museums YouTube channel. A series of new object spotlight videos will be released over the coming weeks so you can learn more about some of the fascinating artworks on display. There is also an archive of past videos about displays and exhibitions. Visit www.youtube.com/user/BirminghamMAG

The Staffordshire Hoard at BMAG

• Step back in time and learn about the discovery of the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found via the Staffordshire Hoard website. The Staffordshire Hoard collection is owned by Birmingham City Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council on behalf of the nation, and is cared for by Birmingham Museums Trust and The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent. The website follows the story of the Hoard and how it was discovered and conserved for display. See high resolution images of key pieces from the collection and the replica Staffordshire Hoard helmet. Visit www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk

• Over 250 images from Birmingham’s collection are also available to download via Unsplash unsplash.com/@birminghammuseumstrust. Images can also be found on Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/birminghammag/ and Pinterest www.pinterest.co.uk/birminghammag/ . Oil paintings from the collection can be seen on Art UK www.artuk.org/visit/collection/birmingham-museums-trust-136 and watercolours at Watercolour World www.watercolourworld.org/collection/birmingham-museums-trust

Get your history fix with these online collections

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM: Missing Dippy the Dinosaur? Well here’s your chance to say hello as he takes pride of place in the Natural History Museum. An interactive online guide includes insights into some of the millions of the museum’s specimens through short films, virtual reality and a 360 degree tool.

THE BRITISH LIBRARY The British Library’s maps collection and 30 historical globes are all online after being digitised. They can now be seen in augmented reality with the Sketchfab app.

V&A: The V&A’s virtual gallery of fashion takes viewers through the history of clothing around the world.

Natural History Museum

GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE Most of these museums and galleries have a section on the fantastic Google Arts & Culture app and browser, featuring thousands of virtual galleries, picture collections and articles curated by leading arts experts and historians.